On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence. ~Psalm 100:1 (Message) Linking up with sweet Kelly. Follow the button for some amazing photos.
Five Minute Friday: Grow
Joining again with Lisa Jo and community. Spilling words for five minutes on this week’s prompt. GROW. Go! There is growth in the soft places. In the darkness of the womb, nourished by life. Sculpted by nothing. And babies grow into little girls. And little girls into young women. And there is no control. No […]
Puzzling the Pieces and Feeling Like Home
We’ve gone to the family room to Skype them in, the friends from the Netherlands. This technology, it’s new to my dad. My sister tries to describe the room we’re in. The sofa, she says, pulls out into a double bed. And the chairs recline. I’m surprised. They recline? Did they tell us that? They […]
Photoplay From My Back: Comfortable
I hover over her, squint at her tilted back and crooked neck. Are you comfortable? She looks up at me. Are you? No. I tug and pull and fluff her pillows. How is that– are you comfortable now? She looks up at me. Are you? Yes, I’m better. And we laugh. She hates this, […]
Sunday Seasoned Sayings: Live Light
Live light. Live free. Nestled in His strength. Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. […]
Five-Minute Friday: Putting on the Brakes
Five minutes. Unscripted. Unedited. On unexpected. GO! Here I sit at the Dodge dealership watching televised observances from Arlington. I stopped on the way back to the Cottage for an overdue oil change. I didn’t expect to be here that long. Usually I’m in and out. But today is Veteran’s Day, and they are busy. […]
Popping the Cork
I came home for a couple days of grandgirl duty because my husband had to go out of town. He didn’t greet me, and I didn’t see him under the dining room table. I knew right away. He jumped down from the dresser and trotted out when I opened the door. I knew it had […]
Yellow Leaves
Nothing left but yellow leaves they fall in earnest now like tears and tumble in the wind. Stripped limps stretch and reach through gray to touch the sun and wait. Hearts ache and break for moments lost to hardened hearts and tears they hide behind the laughter and leak through crinkled corners in the night. […]
Pulling Strings
They streamed in this weekend–from “down below,” “up above,” and just a “hop-skip.” AKA from “down state,” from “the U.P.,” and from home–just a short drive. Three grandchildren, one spouse, one boyfriend, three great-grandchildren, a niece and her family. It was a sun-shining, picture-taking, memory-tucking time. Last night, after everyone had gone and Mom […]
Five Minute Friday: Remembering Useless
Casey, a therapy dog We’ve been taking a lot of walks down memory lane. Like yesterday when a volunteer brought Casey to visit. It got us talking about our own dog. The one my dad brought home one day, the last left of a litter that some vet was giving away. His mother was a […]



